"Proper dining" - The Almeida. Look for offers on toptable.co.uk: it's good, but not as good as it thinks it is and it's worth getting a deal (midweek dinner or lunch is usually available). French style, good service, pleasant atmosphere.

Burgers - Byron. Best chain, consistently, in London.

Pub food - http://www.marquesstavern.co.uk/. Good beers, nice food, a cut above standard pub fare.

Someone mentioned the Hope Cafe on Holloway Road. It's fine if you're hungover but pretty standard stodge: no reason to go out of your way.

Pizza: Firezza on St Paul's Road. Top-notch.

If you're in Kings X, agree Caravan is very nice. Sort of tapas style, better for lunch than dinner in my opinion, but not a cheap lunch. Coffee's not bad. There's also Leon, inside the station, which is just about the best fast food you can get in London.

Enjoy.

http://www.qype.co.uk/place/192625-Le-Mercury-London

1) Antepliler - http://www.anteplilerrestaurant.com/main/

2) Afghan Kitchen Restaurant - http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/83744/Afghan_Kitchen

Both my personal faves, and if you're coming in May, another option to try will be a place called Wahaca who are opening a restaurant in Islington, hopefully, next month. - http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

1) Antepliler - http://www.anteplilerrestaurant.com/main/

2) Afghan Kitchen Restaurant - http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/83744/Afghan_Kitchen

Both my personal faves, and if you're coming in May, another option to try will be a place called Wahaca who are opening a restaurant in Islington, hopefully, next month. - http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

Food

From expensive to cheap.

• I don't love Frederick's but everyone else seems to. It's good food but not cheap.
• Otto Lenghi on Upper Street has won lots of awards. It's great, super fresh foods. It's not the cheapest place but it's not too expensive either.
• Moro (restaurant) and Morito (tapas bar) on Exmouth Market are both great. Moro is pricey, Morito is more reasonable, the food at both is great.
• Byron is a rapidly-growing burger chain of which one is on Upper Street, they do pretty decent burgers and actually have good bottled beer, but it's not cheap for what it is.
• There are a bunch of burrito places that are quite popular (Tortilla, Chilango, Chipotle which just opened) but depending on where you're coming from they may not be that interesting.
• Gallipoli has three Turkish restaurants, also on Upper Street, which are good and pretty cheap. People also like Pasha nearby which is also Turkish. I prefer Gallipoli but I was at Pasha once when Boris Johnson (who lives in Angel) and Ken Livingstone were eating together.
• Le Sacre Coeur on Theburton St is a hidden gem, inexpensive french restaurant but I really like the food and it has lots of character.
• Little Bay near Chapel Market is inexpensive and good european food (I think the owners are Serbian but they do all kinds of stuff)
• Alpino in Chapel Market is not fine dining, but very good for a fryup. Cheap and friendly. I think they might not be open on weekends though.
• Thai-An on Chapel Market also does good Thai takeaway for cheap.

Pubs

• For beer, there's a new Craft Beer Co on White Lion Street near Angel which has 30 or 40 beers on at a time, both British cask ales and imported keg stuff. Foodwise it doesn't have a kitchen but does have pork pies and scotch eggs which are good. Make sure you ask the staff what beers to try, they're very knowledgeable, and will let you taste three or four beers before you choose one. Useful since some of the 1/2 pints can be like £6.95 (not the average price, cask is much cheaper), and some of the stuff they have on is strange indeed.
• Hundred Crows Rising on the next street over doesn't have as wide a beer selection but usually has interesting cask beers on and the food is good. They have lunch deals.
• The Earl of Essex has been done up recently and does a great selection of beers (20 or so on draught plus bottles). The food is also good. A bit tucked away and gets crowded some nights but you should definitely check it out.
• There are other good pubs in the back streets near the Earl if you're there and want to start a pub crawl. Everyone seems to love The Charles Lamb, which does have a few interesting beers, but it's tiny and I'm not its biggest fan. There's also The Island Queen, The Narrow Boat (where I spent about 11 hours last weekend), and William IV, they're all very good pubs that all do good food. The Eagle is also worth checking out, can be crowded but fun.
• You should go to The Wenlock Arms if you're there before it closes for refurb on 2 Mar 2013. It used to be attached to a brewery in the 60s, the brewery shut down, the pub is still open, and attracts all kinds of strange characters. They do interesting beers and ciders. When you first walk in you'll wonder whether you belong but it's very fun after a few pints.
• I don't really recommend The Winchester as a place to go out for an evening as it shifts from half-decent pub to horrible club at some point on weekends, but it's worth mentioning as they do a 2-for-1 lunch deal which is pretty good, and during the day it's not bad.
• The Mucky Pup is a favourite of mine but a bit polarizing. It's shit in a way but can be really fun, jukebox, good people, hidden away from the more commercial stuff closer to Angel. Don't be scared by the fact that they only have a Myspace page.
• Nearby, The Old Queen's Head is closer to Essex Road which you shouldn't really go for food or good beers, but it's very lively and can be quite fun. I ran into Juliette Lewis there one time.
• The Exmouth Arms on Exmouth Market has a good selection of craft beer and the food is pretty good too. It's also open later than a lot of pubs.
• Closer to St Pancras there is a Spanish bar called Camino and it has an associated sherry bar called Bar Pepito. The steak tartare is good and so are the sherry flights.
• Also near St Pancras is The Queen's Head, I've not eaten there but they do have good/interesting beers on usually.

Other pubs to try:

• The Bull on Upper Street
• The Crown on Cloudesley Road
• The Duke of Cambridge (site seems to be down) on St Peter's St if you like organic stuff
• The Compton Arms near Highbury & Islington

Scotch

• I know less about scotch but Filthy Macnasty's Whiskey Bar can be fun, might be worth a try.
• The Lexington is also pretty fun for live music, don't know where you're coming from, if it's the US you might not be so excited as they do American beer and bourbon but it's very pricey for what it is. Open late, but becomes quite clubby.
• Same goes for Slim Jim's Liquor Store which you will either love or hate. They have a jukebox and it's fun, but kind of awful too. They're open late for Islington as well. It's a fun place to meet people. Bring jeans as won't get in if you're wearing suit trousers.

Cocktails

You didn't ask but here's what I recommend. These aren't all strictly in Islington but are nearby. In order of quality of cocktails. You should book if you want to go to one, they are mostly tiny.

• Happiness Forgets - 12th best bar in the world by Drinks International. They really know what they're doing. They reserve space for walk-ins even though it's tiny.
• 69 Colebrooke Row - This has won Timeout's Best Bar in London a few times. Also tiny, easier to book than Happiness though.
• Nightjar - Speakeasy with live music most nights. Impressive presentation but they do some questionable cocktails on the menu in terms of taste, best to get advice from the waiters.
• Lounge Bohemia - You have to book to go here and it's very hidden. Czech themed. Sometimes amazing but the service varies a lot.